Machine for binding groups of unit sheets



,Dec. 28', 1943. w. G. READ 2,338,058

MACI- IINE FOR BINDING GROUPS OF UNIT SHEETS Filed March 17, 1941. 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 AZZofi-eg Dec. 28, 1943. w. G. READ 2,338,058

MACHINE FOR BINDING GROUPS OF UNIT SHEETS Filed March 1'7, 19 41 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aiiarh ey I m Dec. 28, 1943. w. G. READ 2,338,058

MACHINE FOR BINDING GROUPS OF UNIT SHEETS Filed March 17, 1941 4 sneets snet 3.

\jz Y I 3/? I 35 q 35 1% 31 '37 v 1.? 37 .l3 A

/W [25 l -18 Z6 J6 1 4 57 I" I lia/279 507- g 194 4.5' 7

Dec. 28, 1943. w. GQREAD I MACHINE FOR BINDING GROUPS OF UNIT SHEETS Filed March 1'7, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 s22 EEES u mw ey Inven/Zor Patented Dec. 28, 1943 f MACHINE FOR BINDING GROUPS OF UNIT SHEETS Worth G. Read, St. Paul, Minn.

Application March 17, 1941, Serial No. 383,694

14 Claims.

Generally stated, the objects of this invention are to facilitate the making of accurate records and transcriptions thereof and to reduce the cost of clerical work and ofiice devices in the larger business and government oflices.

A particular object is to provide a novel method and means for joining together a multiplicity of separate sheets in imbricated, overlapping relation in groups of predetermined or varying numbers of sheets so that a full, consolidated page of information may be transferred to or from the group of sheets in one operation and the consolidated pages of information may be broken down'into a multiplicity of individual units each comprising the information on a single sheet.

Another object is to facilitate joining groups of individual sheets together securely in either imbricated or edge to edge, spaced relation to each other for the purposes described or for other purposes which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

A further object is to provide means for connecting separable sheets together in overlapping relation and with predetermined or accurately uniform portions of the several sheets exposed whereby cumulative errors in the spacing of the exposed portions are avoided.

Other objects will appear and be more fully pointed out in the following specification and claims.

I join the sheets together by the use of narrow strips of adhesive tape extending in parallel relation to each other along the lateral margins of the sheets which margins may be trimmed off or cut to separate the sheets after the information has been transferred to or from the bound group of sheets. The tape is preferably applied to both the front and back of the sheets so that each unitary sheet is securely joined to the other sheets of a group at all four corners. This insures against inaccuracies and non-uniformities in the location of the units of information when they are transferred to or from the group of sheets as a complete consolidated page.

The product of this invention may be used for the preparation of groups of pay checks with or without attached statements to employees of their earnings, individual deductions, etc. and for distributions to accounts and a great variety of other statistical purposes.

The accompanying drawings illustrate'a suitable machine for carrying out my invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; v

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 'l-! of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 9 and 10 are sections taken respectively on the lines 9-9 and l0l0 of Fig. 3 and illustrating details of the tape feeding and guiding mechanism;

Fig. 11 i an enlarged diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the machine, and

Fig. 12 is a plan view showing a typical group of pay checks with attached statements, as pro.- duced by my invention.

The machine has generally parallel, side frame members H and I2 constructed from sheet metal. Flanges I3 along the bottom edges of these frame members are provided with rubber feet I 4. A bed 15 having a substantially plane top surface is rigidly secured to and between the frame members II and 12. This bed is preferably disposed at a slight incline and the sheets as they are assembled are carried on the connecting tapes from right to left as seen in Figs. 3 and 11, up the incline. A recess in the top surface of the bed I5 is provided to contain a transparent plate It beneath which a guide sheet or master form may be placed. The plate l6 preferably extends entirely across the bed l5 and is readily removable for the insertion of the guide sheets beneath it.

The frame members II and [2 are formed with upwardly projecting bearing supports [1 near the delivery end of the machine where a pair of coacting, soft rubber rollers l8 and I9 are mounted for drawing the sheets and connecting tapes through the machine, as hereinafter'described. As best shown in Figs. 6 and '7, the lower roller 19 is mounted on a shaft 2!) having bearings 2| secured to the frame members H and I2. The upper roller I8 is mounted on a shaft 22 journaled in bearing blocks 23 which are slidable vertically in guide slots 24 in the frame members I! respectively. Thrust screws 25 are threaded in bearing caps 26 and are adjustable to compress springs 21 which are interposed between the lower ends of these screws and the upper surfaces of the slidable bearing blocks 23. By turning the screws 25 the compression of the springs may be adjusted to regulate the pressure exerted between the bite of the rollers 13 and I9.

ects from the bearsecured to the g the rollers.

projecting end for menus The opposite end or the a toothed pinion 25 secured th eto. pinion is arranged to mesh with a pinion fixed on an end of the shaft fill so that the rollers are rotated in unison. The teeth of the pinions 29 and are sufficiently long to maintain the driv'iing connection through the range of relative movement of the rollers required for drawing assemblies of sheets of varying tl iclzness between the rollers.

Rolls 3i and of narrow adhesive tape are mounted in spaced, coaxial relation to each other beneath the receiving end of the bed 55 and parallel strips 33 of this tape are fed from the rolls along the top of the bed 55 plate it and between the bite of the rollers it Elirnilar strips 3 of adhesive tape are fed in registry with the top of the strips a pair of rolls mounted above the bed 55 near the thereof. Both the strips and are preferably oi the Scotch tape type with adhesive on one surface only. strip 33 has its adhesive surface uppermost as it passes along the bed iii to adhere to the bottom surface of the sheets thereon and the strips t l have their adhesive surfaces presented downward so that they adhere to the top surfaces of the sheets to be connected. When no paper is positioned between the strips 33 and 34 they adhere to ee 11 other so that they pass freely between the rollers it and it. The rolls 3i and are mounted on non rotary reel supports 35 and rotary reels The reels are removably attached to the supports by axial screws 38 so that the rolls may be readily replaced when the supply of has been exhausted therefrom. Similar reels and axial screws are provided to revolubly supporthe rolls To avoid loosening of the screws by normal rotation of the reels, the threading of the screws is suitably arranged, one being right hand and the other left.

For most forms, the adhesive tape should be applied to the lateral edges of the sheets and in order to adapt the machine to receive sheets of difierent dimensions, I make the tape reels readily adjustable across the machine. To this end the reel supports 33? secured to bars extending longitudinally beneath the bed iii near opposite sides.

the reel supports at opposite sides are similar it is only necessary to describe one or" them. At one end each bar has a pro-- jection 4B engaging ,a bearing which is slidable along a guide rod 12 having its ends fastened to the frame members i and 52 respectively (Figs. 1, 4 and 10). Threaded in the opposite end of the bar 38 is a clamping screw 3-55 (Figs. 3, i and 8) extending up through a guide slot M which is parallel to the rod 32 in wl ch metal guide clip 45 is slidable. The screw passes through perforations in the guide clip and in a flange 46 formed on a reel support for the roll By tightening the screw :3 and reel support 4'! may be secured adjusted positions within the limits of the guide s i l which e:: tends entirely across the bed il-Za. It will be evident that the tape rolls carried by the supports 36 and 41 are thus adjustable unit crosswise of the machine and that the supports for the tape rolls at the opposite side of the machine are similarly adjustable.

As best shown in Figs. l and 5, the bars 39 are connected to systems of lazy tongs 4 3 which retain these bars in parallel relation to each other during adjustment various positions relative to the bed of the machine. These systems of lazy tongs are severally anchored along the center line of the machine to fixed members #33 which are mounted on the bottom of the bed 55. Such means for maintaining the parallelism of the bars 3? may be omitted as the bolts 4-3 and set screws 52, presently to be described, retain the tape reels in adjusted positions.

To guide the tape from the roll El to the upper surface of the bed, I provide small roller 56 which is freely reluble on a bushing 5 l, as shown in Fig. 10. ihis bushing projects within the slidable head along the rod and has its ends swaged outward to confine the roller 5| against the of the head The latter may be secured against movement along the rod 42 by tightening set screw which is threaded in and bushing and impinges against the rod The tape from the roll 3! is guided in a groove formed the periphery of the roller on while tape from the roll 32 is guided by a roller similar to the roller iii: and similarly con- 21 cted to supporting bar 33.

Each strip of tape is guided as it leaves one of the rolls i.- successively over rollers 54 and 55 shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9. These rollers are revoluble on supporting bolts 55 and 51, the bolt being threaded in the reel support ll and the bolt 5? having lock nuts for movably fastening it to said support. Limited vertical movement of the roller is afforded by forming a vertical slot in the support 3 i in which the bolt 5? is guided. its own weight the roller 55 is thus caused to ride on the margins of the sheets as they pass through the machine and to press the strip or" tape upon the exposed portions of the successive sheets. Rotation. of the sev eral tape reels is retarded by friction created between small springs Bio mounted on the supports and resiliently engaging the peripheries of the rolls.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 11, a master form or guide sheet till may be placed beneath the tran..- parent plate it. This form has parallel guide lines ill printed on its top surface. Such lines extend across the machine as guides for the location of the superimposed and successive, individual sheets The sheet lid may also have the information which is subsequently to be transferred to he sheets :32 displayed thereon in appropriate columns.

In cases where a multiplicity of sheets 62 are to be connected in irnbricated relation to each other, the successive sheets are so placed in registry with the lines l'li that the exposed margin of each sheet corresponds in width to the spacing of the lines t l. Thereafter information duplieating the master sheet 65 is transferred to the bound group of sheets. For example, where the individual sheets -52 comprise payroll checks in blank form they may be fastened together by means of the adhesive tape, as illustrated in Fig. 12, so that the exposed parallel margins are arto receive names of the payees, their classification designations, statement of earnings, deductions, and amounts due, all of which data is transferred from a page of the payroll or master sheet containing the consolidated data in tabulated form,

the

Operation.

Details of procedure with difierent forms or atlon, the checks may be passed through a check writing machine which-fills in the amounts to even with the same form may be varied. One method of procedure which produces groups of sheets as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12 is here set forth in detail. The spacing of the adhesive strips 33 and 34 is first adjusted to correspond to the length of the sheets 62 to be bound together and so that these strips will be applied along both side margins as the sheets are placed on the plate I6. The strips 33 have their adhesive sides up and the strips 34, with adhesive.

sidesdown, are superimposed thereon and the two non-adhesive tapes thus formed are passed between the bite of the rollers l8 and ill in properly spaced and parallel relation to each other. A guide sheet 60 is placed under the transparent plate 16 with the guide lines 6| extending at right angles to the strips 33. Now the operator places the first sheet 62 face downward with its forward margin covering the first line of data found on the guide sheet 60 and with the forward edge of the sheet in registry with the appropriate line 6|. As the operator positions the sheet he merely presses on the margins above the strips 33 which adhere to the sheet. The next sheet 62 is then placed in overlapping relation to the first sheet, but with its forward edge projecting beyond that of the first sheet a distance equal to the spacing of the next guide line 6|. As a part of this operation the two front corners of the second sheet are pressed against the strips 33 which hold them securely. This operation is repeated with additional sheetsuntil a number corresponding, line for line, to the page of information represented by the sheet 60 has been assembled.

When one group of sheets in this imbricated relation has been completed, the operator turns the wheel 28 in the appropriate direction to draw the group first beneath the strips 34 of adhesive tape and then between the rolls l8 and lil. After thus clearing the working area of the plate I 6, other groups of sheets are assembled and joined together in similar manner. It will be evident that as the top strips 34 are applied, they make contact with and adhere to the rear edge corners of the successive sheets of a group, thus completing the fastening of each sheet at its four corners. For each succeeding group a new master sheet may be substituted for the sheet fill beneath the plate l6. Ordinarily the adhesive tapes connecting one group of sheets to another are not severed until all of the groups for the entire payroll have been irnbricated, connected together and discharged from the machine.

In some cases it is advantageous to use a blank guide sheet 60 and retain the master forms or payroll sheets bearing the consolidated information in a pile beside the machine. When this is done the lines 6! are utilized to obtain uniform spacing of the edges of the sheets but the number and character of the sheets placed in each group is determined by the successive master sheets located at one side of the machine. When a group of checks with attached employees statements, such as that illustrated in Fig. 12, has been produced, the tabulated data comprising a full page such as the master sheet is transferred to the blank checks in one operation, as by the use of a "Ditto or duplicating machine. Subsequently the individual checks, with their attached employees statements, are separated from each other merely by trimming or cutting away the margins where the adhesive strips 33 and 34 connect the sheets together. As the final operbe paid, signatures and other data required.

My improved machine may be quickly adjusted to accommodate forms of various lengths merely by adjusting the spacing of the adhesive strips 33 and 34 at one side of the machine relative to those at the opposite side, as hereinbefore described. The rolls of tape may be quickly and easily mounted in the reels, those beneath the bed being readily accessible as well as those on the supports 4?. It will also be evident that any weight or type of paper can be accommodated and that the machine will operate with forms of widely different dimensions within the limit established by the maximum spacing of the adhesive tapes on the bed. To correspond to other office appliances, a maximum width of seventeen inches is at present suflicient. No adjustments are required for the machine to handle sheets of various lengths longitudinally of the adhesive tapes.

A further important feature of my invention is my arrangement whereby such slight errors as may be made in accurately locating or spacing the edges of the successive sheets in a group do not affect the accuracy of the result because they are not cumulative. By locating the guide sheet where it is visible on the working surface the accurate location of the successive sheets is greatly facilitated. This makes it safely within the skill of an ordinary operator to produce uniform spacing of the sheet edges so that all danger of transcribing the wrong information on any of the sheets is eliminated,

Each bound group of sheets corresponds accurately to the number, nature and spacing of the items on the master or guide sheet. This has important advantages because it is frequently desirable to reproduce skipped lines or multiple line entries on the bound unit sheets according to the guide sheet. For example, one or more employees whose names are listed on the guide sheet may have been transferred to a different classification or for other reason are not entitled to receive a pay check, the fact being noted on the guide sheet. In such case the groups of payroll checks, when assembled according to my invention, do not include checks to such transferred or eliminated employees and the result may be obtained by substituting a blank sli or form, other than a check, at the appropriate point in assembling the imbricated sheets. In other cases the information which must be transferred to a particular unit sheet may require the space occupied by a plurality of ordinary lines, whereas, other.

unit sheets of the same group require but a single line of information. This condition is met by merely varying the lapping of the corresponding unit sheets when they are assembled on the binding tapes. My invention thus meets the requirement for variations in an otherwise uniform record of items of like character.

. Manual operation of the sheet moving rollersl8 and I9 has been found to be sufiiciently rapid for the great majority of th operations required of the machine but it will be evident that a power drive may be provided for the rollers if desired. 1

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: 1. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a member having a surface to receive sheets to be assembled, adhesive tapes disposed in spaced parallel relation to each other upon said surface and guide means associated with said surface for indicating the spacing of sheet edges when the sheets are placed in imbricated relation to each other on said tapes.

2. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a member having a surface to receive sheets to be connected together, means for feeding adhesive tapes in spaced parallel relation to each other longitudinally of said surface, guide means associated with said surface for indicating sheet positions on said tapes and means for moving said tapes and sheets thereon longitudinally of said surface.

3. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a member having a surface to receive sheets to be bound together, means for feeding a pair of adhesive strips in spaced parallel relation to each other longitudinally of said surface, guide means associated with said surface for indicating sheet positions on said strips, means for feeding a second pair of adhesive strips in registry with said mentioned strips respectively and in adhering relation therewith and to said sheets, and means for moving said strips and the sheets thereon longitudinally of said surface.

t. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a member ha ing a surface to receive sheets to be connected together, means for feeding adhesive tapes in spaced parallel. relation to each other longitudinally of said surface from one end thereof, guide means associated with said. surface for indicating sheet positions on said tapes and means mounted near the opposite end of said surface for moving said tapes and the sheets thereon longitudinally of said surface.

5. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a bed having a surface to receive sheets to be bound together, a pair of adhesive strips disposed in spaced, parallel relation to each other longitudinally of said surface, rolls for supplying said strips mounted beneath said bed near one end thereof, guide means having a multiplicity of lines extending across said surface for indicatin the spacing of sheet edges on said strips and a pair of rollers mounted near the opposite end of said bed and arranged in peripheral contact with each other to receive and grip the strips and sheets between them, said rollers being adapted to be rotated to move the strips and sheets adhering thereto along said bed.

6. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a bed having a surface to receive sheets to be connected together, means for feeding a pair of adhesive strips in spaced, parallel relation to each other longitudinally of said surface and with the adhesive side up, guide means for indicating the lap spacing of imbricated sheets extending across said strips and means for feeding a second pair of adhesive strips to the top surfaces of said sheets whereby the exposed top and bottom areas of said sheets are bound together at spaced points.

Z. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a bed, a transparent plate mounted on said bed to sheets to be bound together, means for feeding adhesive tapes in parallel relation to each other upon the top of said plate and a guide sheet visible beneath said plate and having lines extending across so tapes for indicating the spacing of sheet ed es when the sheets are placed in imbricated relation to each other on said tapes.

8. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a bed formed with a recess in its upper surface, a transparent plate mounted in said recess, adhesive tapes disposed in spaced parallel relation to each other upon the top of said plate, a guide sheet visible beneath said plate and having lines extending across said tapes for indicating the spacing of sheet edges when the sheets are placed in imbricated relation to each other on said tapes and means for moving said tapes and sheets upon said plate and bed.

9. lfhe combination in a machine of the class described, of a bed having a surface to receive sheets to be assembled, adhesive tapes disposed in spaced parallel relation to each other upon said surface, rolls for supplying said tapes mounted beneath said bed near one end, guide means associated with said surface for indicating the spacing of sheet edges along said tapes, rotary means for gripping and moving said tapes longitudinally upon said surface and friction means for retarding the rotation of said rolls.

10. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a bed having a surface to receive sheets to be connected together, means near one end of said bed for feeding a pair of adhesive strips in spaced, parallel relation to each other longitudinally of said surface and with the adhesive side up, guide means for indicating the spa"- ing of sheets along said strips, means for feeding a second pair of adhesive strips to the top surfaces of said sheets and in registry with said first mentioned pair of strips respectively. whereby the exposed top and bottom areas of said sheets are bound togeth r at spaced points and coacting rollers arranged to receive both pairs of tapes between them for drawing the and sheets adhering thereto along said bed and to discharge the same from the machine.

11. lThe combination in a machine of the class described of a table having a surface to receive sheets to be connected together, guide for indicating parallel spacing of the longitudinal edges of successive sheets as the latter are placed in ixnbricated relation to each other on surface, and means for applying adhesive tapes to projectin corner portions of each of the imbricated sheets on said table for connecting the sheets together along opposite side edges comprising rolls of adhesive tape mounted near an edge of said table in alignment with the end margins respectively of the sheets and means mounted near the opposite edge of said table for Withdrawing tapes from said rolls longitudinally of the table.

12. The combination in a machine of the class described of a table having a surface to receive sheets to be connected together, guide means for indicating parallel spacing of the longitudinal edges of successive sheets as the latter are placed in imbricated relation to each other on said surface, rolls for bin 'ing tape mounted on said table and means for feeding adhesive tape from said rolls to the upper surfaces of imbricated sheets on said table for connecting the sheets together along opposite side edges.

13. The combination in a machine of the class described of a table having a surface to receive sheets to be connected together, guide means for indicating parallel spacing of the longitudinal edges of successive sheets as the latter are placed in imbricated relation to each other on said sur-- face, rolls for adhesive tape mounted on said table for movement across the same, means for fastening said rolls in alignment with opposite side edges of sheets of various lengths on said table and adhesive tapes adapted to be extended from said rolls in parallel lines across the several sheets whereby the exposed margins of a multiplicity of sheets may be bound together.

14. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a member having a surface to receive sheets to be connected together, a plurality of rolls of adhesive tape mounted in spaced relation to each other near an edge of said member to feed tapes longitudinally of said surface, ro-

tary means mounted near the opposite edge of said member for withdrawing tape from said rolls along parallel lines and guide means having a multiplicity of lines extending crossways of said tapes and surface for indicating the spacing of sheet edges along said tapes.

WORTH G. READ. 

